The right to development includes all the other human rights, and China has been embracing and spreading it around the world, according to experts.
When most people talk about human rights, they think of freedom of speech, privacy, or political participation. But this week at the Forum on Global Human Rights Governance in Beijing, a different angle is taking center stage: the right to development.
Kicked off in Beijing on Thursday, the two-day event is focused on joint development and shared human rights. More than 400 participants from over 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations, have attended the forum.
On the sideline of the forum, China Global Television Network interviewed several experts who shared their opinions on the right to development.
"The right to development is the right that encompasses all the other rights, and the aim of it is the development of the human being in all its dimensions," Christophe Peschoux, former senior human rights officer with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, explained.
China is dedicated to promoting social fairness and justice, and ensuring that the fruits of modernization benefit its people fairly. Meanwhile, China has tried to integrate the right to development into global practice.
Platforms like the Belt and Road Initiative are contributing to a more balanced global order by leveling the economic playing field.
"The essence of and importance of the Belt and Road Initiative is it stands for not alone economic development in modernization and infrastructure, which is crucial for human rights, but it also characterizes the need which is embracing cooperation and friendship. That is the framework for how to achieve an elimination of global poverty," said Stephen Bennett Brawer, chairman of Belt and Road Institute in Sweden.
The right to development is particularly significant in the age of AI. New technologies are grounded in human rights and can help drive sustainable growth and promote human-centered development. This topic is hotly discussed at the forum.
"We are talking about the role of AI technology, which is clearly a tool that is potentially a great tool for human development. Innovation is a product of the creative thought processes of the human mind that can lead us in a combination of improvements of living standards, but also the need for the development of the human thought process in the human mind as a direct part of that process," Brawer said.
Development itself is a form of human rights advancement. As global challenges grow more complex, the question is no longer what rights people should have, but how those rights can be made real in practice.
For much of the world, development is exactly where that process begins.
Experts highlight importance of right to development in human rights
A senior South Sudanese official called for reform to the international system that still has considerable room for improvement when it comes to equality, fairness, and inclusiveness.
Speaking at the 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance on Friday, Agnes Oswaha, Undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, said that inequalities remain a grim reality today and Global South countries bear the brunt of an unevenly structured global system.
"Inequalities within and among nations remain a grim reality that is yet to be addressed. Countries of the Global South are faced with sanctions, the burden of foreign debts, manipulation by external actors, among others," said Oswaha.
Oswaha denounced the lack of representation for developing countries on the world stage. She said that within the Global South, only China holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, despite the fact that the vast majority of issues on the council's agenda directly affect developing nations.
The diplomat also criticized international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds, saying their assistance often come strings attached. She said that these institutions tend to impose excessive and impractical conditions and prescribe policies without considering a country's economic priorities.
Oswaha argued that today's most pressing crises cannot be solved through isolated or unilateral means, and urged a wholesale modernization of global bodies.
"The challenges and opportunities of our time, from catastrophic climate change and pandemics, security and conflicts, are global concerns rather than national issues. For us to overcome and progress, we must address them collectively and effectively. We must reform our multilateral institutions, reform them in such a way that can promote the principles of sovereignty, equality, collective action and impartial adherence to international law," said Oswaha.
She praised China for championing a cause that will reduce gaps and tensions within and among nations, setting the foundation for a world where progress approaches collectively and is achieved fairly.
Oswaha called on the United Nations to overhaul its approach to global crises to better serve the interests of the developing world.
"The United Nations must adapt an approach to the current challenges that is inclusive, holistic, people-centered and action-oriented in order to carry forward the developmental aspirations of all people within the Global South and the world at large. Therefore, South Sudan urges for solidarity, peaceful coexistence, religious tolerance through collective and coordinated action in order to benefit all people," said Oswaha.
The two-day forum, which opened on Thursday, marks the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development. It focuses on advancing human rights through development and will foster discussions on global human rights governance issues. Over 400 participants from over 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations (UN) were in attendance.
South Sudan diplomat calls for reform to unjust international system
